F-550 Suspension
#1
#2
my guess is the air bag pressures are off from each other. with out knowing more about the truck, like what you have checked already this is my guess. you may also have an airbag leak... you can check with a spray bottle of soapy water, soak em and watch for bubbles. really soak em too all over.
can just be an optical illusion from the photo, but it looks like the ground is not level, but i think this is just an illusion...
can just be an optical illusion from the photo, but it looks like the ground is not level, but i think this is just an illusion...
#3
What years is it? You have suspension I have not seen on F550 before. I own motorhome with air suspension, so am familiar with those pretty well.
You have to have adjusting valves on both sides. Can't make them from the picture, but on older vehicles those would be mechanical valves with adjustable rods, on newer vehicles they put electronic gizmos that are harder to figure out.
Can you see any small box with adjustable linkage in the bags area?
You have to have adjusting valves on both sides. Can't make them from the picture, but on older vehicles those would be mechanical valves with adjustable rods, on newer vehicles they put electronic gizmos that are harder to figure out.
Can you see any small box with adjustable linkage in the bags area?
#4
#5
One thing that Ford did was change bags and that did not work, the Ford dealer has no idea why it tilts they do not even know who's system this is. Fontaine shows nothing and even with the vin # they can not identify it. If I could just get a name then all would be solved but that it seems in possible.
#7
That makes no sense. If that is the truth it is the front suspension that holds the side to side level. Even if you level empty truck, this setup would tilt badly with any side load. The main bags connected together are like fluid. Imagine boat with passenger on one side only?
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#8
I wish I could tell you specifically what brand the kit is, but honestly it looks like a one off application possibly. I will forward your pics onto a couple of people internally and see if they recognize it.
As for fixing the problem though, as someone else mentioned, are you sure it is the bags? Measuring the height of each bag would help out a lot. If the bags are t'd together, they should have an equal pressure in them, unless there is a good deal of extra weight on one side. This is the downfall of T'ing the bags together, but when not moving it typically doesn't cause any lean. You notice problems when cornering and the truck rolling and air rushing from one side to the other.
Have you inspected the frame and brackets at all? Is one of them cracking or bent and allowing the lean? I will let you know if I hear anything back from sending the pics up the line. Sorry I couldn't be more help at the moment.
As for fixing the problem though, as someone else mentioned, are you sure it is the bags? Measuring the height of each bag would help out a lot. If the bags are t'd together, they should have an equal pressure in them, unless there is a good deal of extra weight on one side. This is the downfall of T'ing the bags together, but when not moving it typically doesn't cause any lean. You notice problems when cornering and the truck rolling and air rushing from one side to the other.
Have you inspected the frame and brackets at all? Is one of them cracking or bent and allowing the lean? I will let you know if I hear anything back from sending the pics up the line. Sorry I couldn't be more help at the moment.
#9
First let me start off with ,Thanks for the input to all. Yea the boat thing, we by that I mean the family are all Marina owners or boat service shops. The truck literally just leans from cab back. I have crawled under this thing from one end to the other doing service work and have inspected every frame rail for signs of stress cracks and or bad bushings. The truck only has 96,000.00 on it. As you can see the suspension brackets IE either welded or bolted are of substantial size. The product is obviously designed to carry the weight. My question is who makes a separate leveling system that will work on this frame set up.
#10
I think you should take it to truck or bus shop that has mechanic trained in air suspension.
I have few concerns, but without seeing it close can't tell for sure.
Your air bags don't look like suspension bags. Those would be folded and allow for big movements.
Your bags from the picture looks like they have end plates on both sides? Those would be more a bumper, or helper bags and will not allow big movement.
My guess is that somebody did experiment with this suspension and put wrong parts in it.
I have few concerns, but without seeing it close can't tell for sure.
Your air bags don't look like suspension bags. Those would be folded and allow for big movements.
Your bags from the picture looks like they have end plates on both sides? Those would be more a bumper, or helper bags and will not allow big movement.
My guess is that somebody did experiment with this suspension and put wrong parts in it.
#11
I talked with some of the guys internal at Air Lift. They believe it may be a Kelderman or a Link Mfg. kit. They also mentioned that judging by the style link bars used, they believe it is most likely a Kelderman kit.
Here's a link to some of their kits: 2008+ and pre 98
The brackets look very similar but clearly these kits use two bags per side. It might be as simple as the kit you have is an older version of one of these kits.
I hope that helps.
Here's a link to some of their kits: 2008+ and pre 98
The brackets look very similar but clearly these kits use two bags per side. It might be as simple as the kit you have is an older version of one of these kits.
I hope that helps.
#12
I think you should take it to truck or bus shop that has mechanic trained in air suspension.
I have few concerns, but without seeing it close can't tell for sure.
Your air bags don't look like suspension bags. Those would be folded and allow for big movements.
Your bags from the picture looks like they have end plates on both sides? Those would be more a bumper, or helper bags and will not allow big movement.
My guess is that somebody did experiment with this suspension and put wrong parts in it.
I have few concerns, but without seeing it close can't tell for sure.
Your air bags don't look like suspension bags. Those would be folded and allow for big movements.
Your bags from the picture looks like they have end plates on both sides? Those would be more a bumper, or helper bags and will not allow big movement.
My guess is that somebody did experiment with this suspension and put wrong parts in it.
Actually, this style bag is very common on heavy duty applications. The double convoluted you are referring to is typically a medium duty use, and a sleeve bag for even lighter uses. This single bellow is the same design they use for buses, ambulances, and many semi's. Granted the ones on the vehicle in question are slightly shorter than what some of these applications would use but they are not really experimental by any means.
Taking it to a truck or bus facility wouldn't be a bad idea at all though as not many places are familiar with air bags in general, let alone such a heavy duty application.
#13
I am sure no expert in air bags, but judging from the pictures this F550 suspension is having only 5-6" of travel. That is way to short for comfort and my bus conversion air suspension travels over a foot.
This way or the other the bags look like fully inflated in top position. If that is too low to level the truck, something is wrong with this design.
This way or the other the bags look like fully inflated in top position. If that is too low to level the truck, something is wrong with this design.
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